Can anyone explain this?
 

Just wondering if anyone can explain this as I’m baffled.

My dash cam plugs into the cigarette lighter, it’s not worked for a couple of months as it seems to blow the fuses. I’d assumed the issue was with the socket, but I tried replacing the fuse last week and then just using the cigarette lighter and it worked fine. Plugged in the dash cam and heard a pop as the fuse went. New fuse put in, cigarette lighter working fine, I plugged a couple of other things in and they worked fine. So I assumed it was probably the lead gone dodgy. Got the same camera in my wife’s car so took the leak off that, new fuse put in my car, lead from my wife’s car, and my camera, and pop went the fuse. So another new fuse, used my lead and my wife’s camera, again pop went the fuse. Replaced the fuse again, retried the cigarette lighter, fine, heated seat, fine, plug in tyre inflator, fine, wife’s camera and lead, pop!

Now I’ve not tried my camera and lead in my wife’s car, but her camera and lead were fine when I took them out of her car, so can’t see it’s a fault with both the cameras and both the leads. And my camera had been working fine for around 6-8 months before it started doing this.

Anyone got any clues how something can be fine in my wife’s car, and not mine?

Thanks

Your camera might have a gremlin in it

hi bikerdude,I'm having the same problem,it worked fine for about 6 months, now it just keeps popping the fuse every time I push it into the cigarette lighters now I'm thinking about hard wiring it into the front interior lights, the dash cam is the cheap Chinese one I bought for less than £20 and have to say it worked really well, up until now, pretty sure it still works, but its left me baffled as to why it keeps blowing the fuse,thanks Ian,

As other things are fine it seems the dash cam 'spikes' when plugged in. If your cigarette lighter socket is always live (some are) then this may cause the spike. Mine is only powered when the ignition is on so is already plugged in.

If your cheap camera has rechargeable batteries in it these may be completely kapput and the camera is pulling current to both charge and boot up.... when newer the batteries held at least some charge and did not pull a charging load and possibly helped with starting the camera itself.... tense was working ok and now batteries are knackered it does not.... answer... cheap cameras are not cheap when you need to buy them twice...

Could also be that the fuse in your wife's car is a greater capacity, which has the capability to carry more current before blowing.

Thanks for all the replies. I did initially assume it was a cheap camera that hadn’t lasted, but as the other works fine in my wife’s car but not mine it can’t be a fatal problem with the camera.
A couple of points I hadn’t thought of though that have been suggested:
1. Yes my cigarette lighter socket is permanently live, in my wife’s qashqai it’s switched.

2. My fuse box has a 15amp fuse for that socket, no idea about my wife’s qashqai. (Though for about 4 months I was running the camera off a 10 amp fuse in that slot as the fuse blew with something else and all I had was a 10 amp to replace it with, and the camera worked fine, just suddenly decided it needs to exceed 15amps).


Another thing I forgot to put in the original post is it’s blowig the fuse in the fuse box, rather than the inline fuse in the plug for the camera, it’s a little glass tube, no writing on it, so no idea what the rating is.

Just because the other unit works fine............. doesn't mean this one is.

It may look the same............ but it may have an internal fault.

Try the camera that blows the fuse..... in the other car...... if it blows the fuse when the other one didn't......... you have found the problem.

That is next on my list, but we’re away at the moment, until Wednesday, and then I’ll have to find out where the fuse for the socket in her car is, and what rating it is before I go trying it and potentially blowing another fuse. Unfortunately, the qashqai forum is a lot quieter than here, and from what I’ve seen, a lot less people playing around with things themselves!

Should be 15a as well.

Usually find the rating is stamped on the metal end pieces.